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March 2014 Update: The new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital

Released: 4/21/2014

Fundraising, clinical and operational planning plus community support highlights recent progress for the physician-led plan to build a new children’s hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC). This includes:

Fundraising - The fundraising campaign for the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital continues with its goal of raising $42 million. To date, approximately $36 million has been committed to the campaign. Some of the major contributions to date include TOPS Friendly Markets, the James H. Cummings Foundation, New Era, the Alfiero Family, Fisher-Price/Mattel, The Children's Guild Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation. In addition to this, Kaleida Health continues to seek a major government contribution and/or grant for this project.

Planning - Members of the Physician Strategic Planning Committee and the 28 user groups comprised of nursing and other clinical staff, administrative leads/support staff, families of patients and others, have signed-off in agreement with the proposed interior design and floor plans for the new hospital.

Hematology/Oncology - As communicated previously, plans for collaboration between RoswellPark and the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital continue to be developed following significant analysis. Current plans are for inpatient hematology/oncology services to be provided by the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital on the 12th floor and outpatient hematology/oncology services at RoswellPark. This change to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital operating inpatient and RPCI operating outpatient services necessitated an amendment to the certificate of need (CON) even though a CON for the previous plans had been approved earlier in 2013.

Certificate of Need – An amended Certificate of Need (CON) for the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital has been submitted to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), increasing the total bed compliment for the new hospital to 185. The Dormitory Authority of New York State (DASNY) approved the architectural review of the new hospital plans. With this hand, approval of the CON is now anticipated in late March/early April 2014.

Financing - Kaleida Health anticipates beginning the application process with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in April of 2014. Kaleida Health administration met with HUD in December to begin a preliminary review of the project. HUD is Kaleida Health’s partner for new hospital and construction financing. Once financing is in place, official construction can begin. That is slated for spring 2014.

Hospital site preparation – Ellicott Street (between High and Goodrich Streets) has re-opened. It was closed for construction on the new pedestrian service tunnel connecting the Buffalo GeneralMedicalCenter and the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital site. Ellicott Street has been re-paved by the City of Buffalo and has been switched to two-way traffic to help facilitate movement around the campus.

City planning – The City of Buffalo and its related entities have approved the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo environmental impact statement (EIS) and given official site plan approval to build the new hospital. The organization will obtain city approval for “air rights” or the easement above Ellicott Street for the bridge connecting Buffalo General Medical Center with the new hospital.

Community outreach – Hospital officials continue to meet with neighbors, business leaders and block clubs as part of the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo “reuse planning” process. The Project Advisory Committee has met four times and has developed a community values statement plus initiated work around market research and a development request for proposal (RFP).

Medical office building – Ciminelli Real Estate’s $100 million Conventus project is well underway. Their new building, at Main and High Streets, will house the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo ambulatory services as well as many of the practice plans from UBMD.

Need for a New Hospital

Despite all of the medical successes that happen every day at WCHOB, the current location is not sustainable. The capital needs are enormous. The operating costs are excessive and duplicative, but can be reduced through the relocation to the campus. The repercussions from the loss of this community asset would not only be felt locally, but across all of New York and the greater region. Without close, accessible children’s services, patients will be forced to seek care out of state; assuming they can even access these services given transportation and other barriers.

Vision: John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital

In an effort to make patient care more effective and efficient, Kaleida Health is building the new state-of-the-art John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It will be an integral part of the campus, linking with the Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Gates Vascular Institute, the new UB Medical School and more.

This project will right-size and consolidate services in a 12-floor, 185-bed, free-standing, modern facility. The new hospital will ensure pediatric and maternal services remain available for patients in the Western New York region. The vision for the new hospital is to be recognized as the innovator, the highest quality, highest value provider and partner, and the regional referral center for women and children’s health care for Kaleida Health, WesternNew York and beyond.

Scheduled to break ground in 2014, the new hospital will provide a comprehensive range of specialized pediatric care (including trauma) and pediatric surgical services as well as a Women's Pavilion with related services. Services include labor and delivery, the regional perinatal center and the women’s health center, that provide prenatal, gynecological care and C-section operating rooms, all located on the same floor.